Whether you’re the CEO of a startup company or an engineer of an industry giant, you’ve likely seen businesses struggle to source reliable product solutions.
From design setbacks to quality issues, there are many reasons why some companies find it challenging to navigate custom product manufacturing. Because of this, businesses often choose to source parts from a service provider like an adhesive tape converter.
As an adhesive converter, Strouse’s experts understand that manufacturing is only part of your final solution. Your product launch shouldn’t be limited by your knowledge of flexible materials, which is why we help design and build unique parts.
This article will help you understand how working with an adhesive tape converter improves your brand by facilitating efficiency and scalability in your manufacturing process.
How Can an Adhesive Tape Converter Benefit You?
A manufacturer or inventor should be able to approach a converter with a project at any stage of development — an idea, a napkin sketch, or a complete technical drawing. With proper focus, the right converter turns that concept into a real solution.
Here are the following ways in which choosing a converter works to benefit you and your product.
1. MATERIAL SOURCING
As flexible material experts, converters are connected to a wide range of suppliers, making them a valuable resource for sourcing. Even better, many converters receive special price breaks, expedited shipping, and unique length/width rolls that non-converters don’t have access to.
However, like any other industry, no two converters are the same, so make sure that your converter can access your desired material before deciding they’re the best partner for you.
2. DESIGN REFINEMENT
You may not realize it, but tweaking your design can significantly affect its final cost. Expert converters have the experience to confirm design tolerances and simplify material stack-ups to create a one-pass production process, thus saving you money.
3. PROTOTYPING
Testing your product in its intended context is like trying on a pair of shoes at the store: this allows you to confirm the design and material functionality beyond the pages of a catalog (or in this case, the AutoCAD browser window).
Converters typically offer prototyping and sampling services that allow you to construct your part the way you imagine it in your technical drawing. For example, Strouse often builds prototypes for free:
4. TURNING MATERIALS INTO USABLE COMPONENTS
Although large tape rolls are cost-efficient for the supplier, they rarely provide the value that manufacturers need. Why purchase a massive log of adhesive when you actually need 2” rolls? Or 1.5” dots?
Partnering with an adhesive converter will provide you with materials in custom shapes, sizes, and formats, allowing you to create usable parts and components.
5. PROCESS AUTOMATION
Expert converters will use their experience to ensure that product solutions are scalable and designed for manufacturing (DFM), which likely involves a level of automation.
If you’re hoping to scale your project into a successful automated process, a converter can help by optimizing your design and material for automation from the start.
Finding the Best Adhesive Tape Converter
A high-end adhesive tape converter begins by working to understand the challenges a customer faces with their product or assembly. Only then can an adhesive tape converter produce a sample, test different materials and designs, and manufacture a final product that ensures the right solution has been implemented.
It’s not always easy to identify which converters are adhesive-wielding problem-solvers and which can’t see beyond the project in front of them. Choose incorrectly, and you’re stuck with out-of-spec parts, late shipments, project failures, and wasted dollars. That’s why we created a Checklist for Choosing an Adhesive Converter to demonstrate some of the most valuable questions to ask upfront.
3M PREFERRED CONVERTER STANDARD
It’d be impossible to discuss what it takes to be a full-service adhesive tape converter without mentioning the industry leader, 3M.
3M’s products are known worldwide, and they hold converters to top-quality standards. Only about 60 converters out of thousands operating in America make the cut, and they are invited to join the “3M Preferred Converter” program.
Strouse is a full-service adhesive tape converter and 3M Preferred Converter with over 39 years of experience. We build converting solutions for manufacturers in medical, automotive, electronics, aerospace, industrial, and many other industries.
If you’re interested in starting your project with a converter, reach out to get started with Strouse today! We will review your current process and specifications before guiding you through the next steps.
Want to know more about flexible material converting? You can learn more in our Flexible Material Converting Q&A Guide.
Originally published: March 4, 2021
